Jesse Kriel to captain Springboks in Qatar Airways cup clash against Barbarians

by Lwandiso Simanga

Jesse Kriel will lead the Springboks for the first time when they face the Barbarians in the Qatar Airways Cup at Cape Town’s DHL Stadium on Saturday. The leadership change comes after regular captain Siya Kolisi was ruled out on Friday due to a minor injury concern.

Kriel, a seasoned centre with 79 Test caps since debuting in 2015, steps into the captaincy role for this high-profile exhibition match. The match kicks off at 17:10 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.

Marco van Staden has been called into the starting XV to replace Kolisi in the loose forward trio, joining Vincent Tshituka and Jean-Luc du Preez. Tshituka and prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye are both in line to earn their first Springbok caps.

Jesse Kriel to lead Boks as Kolisi withdraws due to injury

image: Springbok, Twitter(X)

Despite Kolisi’s absence, the rest of the squad remains unchanged from the one announced earlier in the week by head coach Rassie Erasmus.

The backline features familiar faces, including speedsters Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse on the wings, with Damian de Allende and captain Kriel forming the midfield combination. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Morne van den Berg will guide the team at fly-half and scrum-half, respectively.

Up front, the powerful front row of Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx, and debutant Ntlabakanye will anchor the scrum, supported by Lood de Jager and Jean Kleyn in the second row.

The Springbok starting XV:

15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel (Captain) 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Jean-Luc du Preez 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche.

This match offers a unique opportunity for new faces to impress while experienced players like Kriel take on added responsibility.